5 minute read
Unsung heroes: Nik Mitchell – championing
Unsung heroes:
Nik Mitchell
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Writer
Rachel Mills
Image courtesy of
Nik Mitchell
If you find a marine animal in distress, see someone litter picking on the beach or take your children on a seaside safari, you’re likely to spot Nik, who is dedicated to protecting Thanet’s coastline, championing biodiversity and educating us all on the importance of conservation.
You have probably seen Nik zipping along the coast on his electric skateboard, unruly brown hair peeking out beneath his cap. He says he can get from Pegwell Bay to Stone Bay and back on one charge. Just the thought of the fun of it brings a big smile to his face.
Nik Mitchell is an unusual conservationist. He is into drones and motorbikes, and though his garage has a green “living roof” covered in vegetation, his garage door is covered in graffiti art. He was born in Minster and explains that life was difficult as a teenager. “Like a lot of nature people I can be quite antisocial,” he says. These days he’s friendly and approachable, but one thing dominates the conversation – our local environment and wildlife conservation.
Nik, 38, has dedicated his adult life to caring for wildlife and is passionate about educating people on the positive steps we can all take. He has cofounded a Facebook page, Wildlife Conservation in Thanet, where he vlogs and campaigns on local issues; he litter picks every day – sometimes twice a day (more plastic comes with every tide, mostly fishing tackle, line and nets, bottles, cans, coffee cups and baby wipes); and he volunteers with the Thanet Coast Project and British Divers Marine Life Rescue. If you see a seal washed up on the beach, you will also often see Nik in hi-vis, standing close by protecting it from dogs and members of the public getting too close. He explains that sometimes seals just need to get some warmth: “They haven’t got anywhere safe to warm up. We’re everywhere!”. Sometimes though, the seal might be sick or injured, and when this happens, the British Divers Marine Life Rescue – Nik and other trained MDMLR medics – step in.
All Thanet Coast Project volunteers have their own patch along the North East Kent Marine Protected Area (NEKMPA), and for Nik, that is Pegwell Bay Nature Reserve. It is here that he carries out regular data-gathering to check on local wildlife, human disturbances and environmental issues. He is animated (and angry) when he talks about jet- skis breaking the speed limit, litter, sewage discharge (for which Southern Water was recently fined £90 million), people (and their dogs) walking on the beach and putting up the birds, and shellfish harvesting on a big scale (any amount of harvesting in Pegwell Bay is illegal – it is a protected reserve). Thanet’s chalk foreshore is a delicate ecological balance; we have 20 per cent of the UK’s coastal chalk. “We need it and we need to be looking after it,” Nik says.
Passionate about getting kids involved – he has two children and often takes his daughter on wildlife missions – Nik loves doing talks and demonstrations at schools, and confides that he sometimes finds it easier getting through to kids than adults. He speaks with pride about the seaside safaris that he and the other NEKMPA volunteers run in summer. Does he ever get tired of it all? “I don’t have a choice, I can’t stop,”
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he says. “There’s so much to do, it’s overwhelming.”
But his successes keep him buoyed. He has recently established Kent’s first artificial swift colony at Broadstairs College, installing nest boxes to help the migratory bird whose numbers are in decline. He was first on the scene when large amounts of polystyrene washed up and broke up in Pegwell Bay and Ramsgate; he shared videos and updates on social media and in the local news to get people involved in the clean-up of this mini ecological disaster. He has encouraged many to wild their gardens – Nik rails against the “tidy brigade” and champions long grass; rich habitat for invertebrates like beetles, caterpillars and moths that goes on to benefit birds, bats and hedgehogs (he is keen to stress that it is not all about bees, though they are very important too).
Nik can’t contain his delight about TDC taking part in #NoMowMay this year, allowing grass areas to grow and flower to provide vital habitats for insects. He sees it as a sign that our council is taking the climate emergency seriously and can’t help but feel hopeful that there is a change in the wind.
Thanet Coast Project is reliant on 100% donations and was only able to operate in 2021 thanks to a generous donation from Haeckels. See thanetcoast.org.uk for details about how to make a donation or become a coastal warden/ guardian. If you come across a stranded seal, dolphin, porpoise or whale then call British Divers Marine Life Rescue on 01825 765546 and give a detailed, accurate description of where it is
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